Joshua 10:1-11 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Joshua 10:1-11. Let’s go!
Joshua 10:1-5 (NIV)
1 Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them.
2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.
3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon.
4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
5 Then the five kings of the Amorites–the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon–joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
On verses 1-5: Upon hearing that the Gibeonites had formed a peace treaty (or an alliance) with Joshua, five Amorite kings led by Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem form an alliance against the Gibeonites. Why? It’s because the Gibeonites were already a significant force to be reckoned with in their own right (v2). The Amorite kings were probably scared of what the Gibeonites could do if allied with Joshua. So this alliance of Amorite kings decides to attack the Gibeonites.
What can we learn from this? Just as the Gibeonites jumped at the opportunity to create an alliance with Joshua, so you and I have been given an opportunity to create an alliance with an even greater Joshua: his name is Jesus. But watch out. When you make peace with Jesus, enemies, in particular Satan and his army, will want to attack you because they are scared of what you and Jesus can do together. They know that there’s no stopping you when you are allied with Jesus.
Joshua 10:6-11 (NIV)
6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.
8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.
10 The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
On verses 6-11: Joshua comes to the aid of the Gibeonites, and so does the Lord. Joshua and his troops pursue the Amorite forces, and as the Amorite forces flee the Lord sends heavy hailstones on the Amorites. Verse 11 reports that more Amorite soldiers fell due to the hail that God brought than due to the swords that the Israelite soldiers brought.
What can we learn from this? Just as the Gibeonites received Joshua’s help because of the alliance they had formed with Joshua, so when you make peace with Jesus, you get the benefit of Jesus’ help and protection. The most powerful alliance you could ever form is with Jesus Christ.
Finally notice that in verse 8 it mentions that God spoke to Joshua and promised him victory. I believe this was a big reason Joshua went in with such confidence and achieved a great victory over the Amorite kings. It’s because Joshua heard the word of the Lord and that word empowered Joshua to do great things. May you too find your strength, power and vision from the word of God spoken to your heart.
Lord Jesus, thank You that I get to form an alliance with the most powerful king of all – i.e. You. Thank You that because You and I are allies, I have the benefit of Your protection and help at all times. Holy Spirit, speak to my heart today and may Your Word be my power source today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
